The Kiwanis Club of La Jolla’s 2024 Concerts by the Sea series wants to send everyone to Margaritaville.
The lineup will include Jimmy Buffett tribute band Jimmy’s Buffet taking the stage at Scripps Park on Sunday, July 21, to celebrate the original Parrothead with a variety of danceable songs.
“You can’t be mad while listening to Jimmy Buffett,” said frontman Chris Maddox. “He never tells you what to do but makes things so aspirational that you want to do it. You want to go to Margaritaville. His songs feel like an invitation to have good times with friends, usually on the beach with an adult beverage. After that, it’s up to you.”
Buffett, who died in 2023, “was super unique; he was his own genre,” Maddox said. “He created a playground for adults that is fun, joyful, inclusive and supportive.”
Maddox said the concert experience is meant to replicate the parking lot before a Buffett show.
“The pre-party is almost as fun as the concert,” Maddox said. “People would get there four hours early, walk around and see what people are doing. People would throw down sand and create a tiki space. They’d hand you food or beers. It didn’t matter where you were from or who you voted for.”
But rather than be a carbon copy, Jimmy’s Buffet is intended to be a “celebration of Jimmy’s vibe,” with bubble machines, beach balls thrown into the crowd, a tiki-inspired stage, dancers in shark costumes, and a steel pan drum, Maddox said.
Jimmy’s Buffet is one of four bands that will perform outdoor shows in La Jolla this summer.
“All the bands on this year’s lineup have been headliners elsewhere, many of which sell out every time they play, they’re all so good,” said concert series chairman Howard Zatkin.
The concerts, once run by the La Jolla Town Council and La Jolla Rotary Club, paused after 33 years at the end of the 2016 season due to funding issues.
The series relaunched in 2022 and is now operated by the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, which also runs the La Jolla Half Marathon, Junior Olympics, La Jolla Cove Swim and pancake breakfast.
The series’ new organizers had a learning curve that first year, Zatkin said.
“Music is a love of mine, but I’m still learning how to put on these concerts,” he said. “We knew the music had to be danceable because that’s what people want to hear. That first concert of that first year, we roped off an area in front of the stage because we wanted people to get up and dance. By the fourth concert, the dance area was three times larger than the first one because people liked it.”
Attendance has topped 1,000 on some dates, Zatkin said.
To get people dancing, the Kiwanis Club aims to bring in acts that can play songs familiar to the highest number of people.
Though many of the acts play favorites from a variety of styles, having one band dedicated to a particular artist has proved successful.
In 2023, the series brought in The Springsteen Experience for the first time.
“I’m trying to get a wide variety of age groups and something danceable that people know,” Zatkin said. “The Jimmy Buffett cover band is fun because people know the words.”
Others in this year’s lineup “have been around for decades and know how to entertain a crowd,” he said. “They interact with the audience and play songs that will keep people there. [Audiences] don’t just come for 20 minutes, they stay and enjoy themselves.”
“I’ve lived here since the late 1960s; I love this community,” Zatkin added. “It’s fun to be a part of something the community likes and contribute to people having a good time. I think the concerts each year gain a little steam and community interest continues to grow.”
2024 Concerts by the Sea schedule
All shows will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays at Scripps Park, 1100 Coast Blvd., La Jolla. Admission is free.
July 14: Atomic Groove (variety dance band)
July 21: Jimmy’s Buffet (Jimmy Buffett tribute band)
July 28: Betamaxx (‘80s music)
Aug. 4: Big Time Operator (big band music)
To find out more, visit kiwanisclublajolla.org/concerts-by-the-sea. ♦